Lacey Brandenburg was left in shock when her son, Ashton, handed her a note which his friend's mum had given him.
Ashton had been at his friend's house playing, and while he was mannerly and polite, his friend's mum no longer wants him to play with her child.
Why?
Because he likes playing with toys that "you would expect a younger child than himself to play with."
Lacey shared the note on Facebook not to shame the author, but to bring to light the challenges parents of special needs kids face.
"I will not give out names so don't ask just note this is being posted to teach people what parents with special needs children face and what they deal with!" the mum wrote on social media.
"Ashton is a very good child he suffers from intellectual disability (mental retardation), autism, cognitive disorder and adhd, he does play with toys u wouldn't expect sometimes and he does watch lower level cartoons but that doesn't mean u keep ur child from him [sic]."
The note, which is two pages long, requests that Lacey keep her son away from this particular parent's child for fear he will make them watch something that is too young for them.
"We want our child to play with toys and watch television for his age not younger or older than him," the note reads.
"The hand flapping is a concern, we don't want our son to learn to do that."
Sadly, this is apparently Ashton's only friend at school, something Lacey blames on the way "parents teach their kids and the way children treat someone who is a little different".
Not surprisingly, Lacey's post has received a lot of attention, with everyone truly shocked by the note.
"What is wrong with this woman. He’s a child that has feelings. I hope he’s ok and can find better friends. Such small minded pathetic people in the world [sic]," wrote one.
Another said: "This letter is horrible. As an adult, I would stay away from her. Her handwriting and grammar is atrocious. And for the record, I'm 37 and I still watch Bugs bunny, Pokémon and cartoons of a younger child because cartoons my age has so much nudity and violence. Please don't take this letter as a diss on Ashton. Look at it as a blessing in disguise. Ashton and you are better off. So yes please keep your son away from hers. There are lots of kids who would love to hang out with your son. I have a special needs kid here at home who loves meeting new kids like him. Be blessed Lacey and just let this crap roll off like water on a duck [sic]".
We hope Ashton finds friends that truly deserve him.
images via Shutterstock
